On Point Clear's stretch of Scenic Highway 98, most of the holiday season is already spoken for by Thanksgiving. Punta Clara Kitchen starts baking its holiday fruitcake in late summer and usually sells out before December arrives. In the same house, the Charming Teacup holds its Christmas Afternoon Tea on November 6, 2026. That is nearly three weeks before the Grand Hotel's Thanksgiving program opens on November 25.
A few small, long-running businesses set the calendar along this road, and they work on lead times measured in months.
The Fruitcake Clock at 17111 Scenic Highway 98
Punta Clara started in 1952 as Dorothy Brodbeck Pacey's backyard business. Its website says four generations of Paceys have been part of it. Dorothy's children Paul, Susan and Kim run the daily business. Paul's wife, also named Susan, cooks and cans, and Brandee makes the cakes and candy.
Holiday baking starts long before the weather turns. FOX10 reported in late September that by late summer and early autumn, the kitchen is turning out hundreds of pounds of fruitcake inside Miss Colleen's 1897 Victorian house. The recipe goes back about a century to Grandma Bessie Brodbeck, Dot Pacey's mother. It uses a white batter packed with local pecans, glacé cherries and pineapple. The pans are pressed and decorated by hand, and the cakes bake low and slow for two hours.
The early start makes sense once you see how the cakes are finished. According to the same FOX10 report, they rest in airtight containers with fresh apple slices to hold in moisture, then get a dose of brandy before packaging. The family says the cakes improve as they sit and keep for three to six months. A cake that keeps for months can be made months ahead, and its buyers can order just as early. FOX10 says Punta Clara usually sells out before December.
The holiday collection on Punta Clara's site goes beyond fruitcake. It also lists assorted candies, fudge, divinity, pralines, sponge candy and goober pies. At the time of writing, fruitcake starts at $33.95 and assorted candies at $22.95. The site doesn't post a 2026 order cutoff. The sell-out pattern is the only guide to timing.
A Christmas Tea Before Thanksgiving
The Charming Teacup opened in 2024 inside Miss Colleen's House, the same building as Punta Clara, according to Gulf Coast Media. One house now holds two businesses that both plan their holidays early.
The tearoom's fall events are already posted. A Secret Garden Afternoon Tea on Saturday, October 24, 2026, serves tea sandwiches, scones with Devonshire cream and jam, desserts and bottomless tea, with an optional mocktail upgrade. It costs $60 per person plus tax and gratuity. The Christmas Afternoon Tea on Friday, November 6, follows the same format with seasonal desserts and a seasonal mocktail upgrade, at the same $60 adult price.
Booking works differently from a restaurant. You submit a reservation request and wait for approval by email. The phone number for help is 251-234-5551. The tearoom's event page describes the location as about one mile south of the Grand Hotel and says the space is not handicap accessible.
A Christmas tea in the first week of November fits the house it's in. The fruitcake is already baked and aging next door.
The Season, Dated
Here is the Point Clear holiday calendar as the businesses have published it, with a few nearby dates included:
- Thursday, September 10: Fairhope's farmers market returned for fall. It runs Thursdays behind the public library.
- Late September: FOX10 reports that Punta Clara's fruitcake baking is well underway.
- Saturday, October 17: Daphne's Jubilee Festival of Arts runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 140 artists and a local food market. It appears on the Grand's own events calendar.
- Saturday, October 24: Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at the Charming Teacup.
- Friday, November 6: Christmas Afternoon Tea at the Charming Teacup.
- Wednesday, November 25, through Sunday, November 29: The Grand's Thanksgiving program for resort guests.
- Thanksgiving Day: Punta Clara is closed.
- Before December: Punta Clara's fruitcake usually sells out.
- Thursday, December 24, through Saturday, December 26: The Grand's Christmas program.
- Christmas Day: Punta Clara is closed.
Five of these dates fall before the Grand's first holiday program opens. On this road, the late-November season most people think of comes after much of the small-business holiday calendar has already filled.
The Market That Runs on the Other Clock
A season that depends this much on a few storefronts holds up only if those storefronts last. Up the road, Battles Wharf Market shows that it holds up even when one of them is sold.
Gulf Coast Media reported in July that the Buck family bought the property in 1978, when it was the old "Little Giant" gas station. They ran it for decades as a place to grab a bite and fill the tank. In 2025, Jennifer Blackwood bought the market from Ken Buck. She had been an occasional sandwich customer before she heard it was for sale. Shaun Stallcup, who has managed the market and deli for 20 years, stayed on, and Blackwood called her the brains behind helping run the business.
The antique gas pumps are still out front. Breakfast and lunch continue, with Boar's Head meats and cheeses, the club sandwich, muffalettas and red beans and rice. The new owner brought back the fried bologna sandwich and added a roast beef hoagie on pressed, house-made baguette with chipotle gouda and horseradish mayo. Blackwood told the paper who comes through the door:
"We have all types of people that come through the store because of the location. A lot of construction workers, a lot of Point Clear people, a lot of Grand Hotel tourists, so it's always exciting to come up with different things and cater to everybody."
The market keeps no seasonal clock. It's open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It also caters and is on DoorDash. Its shelves carry wine, snacks, local makers' goods and the batteries, foil and toothpaste that a guest house runs short of over a holiday weekend. The market's own website also advertises bait and tackle.
The handoff followed the same pattern as Punta Clara. Ownership changed, but the 20-year manager, the pumps and the sandwich board stayed. At 17111 Scenic Highway 98, four generations have kept one recipe going.
The Grand's Season Arrives Last
The Grand Hotel's holiday programs are built for resort guests. The Thanksgiving program, November 25 through 29, includes family activities, bayfront sunset walks, a bonfire and Thanksgiving dining. The Christmas program, December 24 through 26, offers holiday activities, a Christmas Eve dinner at Southern Roots by reservation, and a Christmas Day buffet in the Grand Hall or ballroom.
Those dates mark the end of the season on this stretch of 98. By the time the bonfire is lit, the fruitcakes have been aging for months and the Christmas tea is several weeks past. For families hosting guests, the Grand's dining dates are the last reservations to make, and Punta Clara and the Teacup are the first.
Before You Drive Down
- Punta Clara Kitchen hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
- Shipping: Punta Clara ships continental U.S. orders by USPS, usually arriving within four days, and offers expedited shipping at extra cost. Orders placed after hours, on weekends or on holidays normally ship the next business day.
- Charming Teacup: Reservations are by request with email approval. The phone number is 251-234-5551.
- Battles Wharf Market: Opens at 6 a.m. on weekdays. Gulf Coast Media's story gives no street number, so look for the antique pumps on Scenic 98.
- After the storm: Hurricane Isaias passed the Gulf Coast earlier this month. Hours listed online may not reflect every change, so calling ahead before a special trip is a good idea.
The storefronts on Scenic 98 shape how a Point Clear property feels as much as the bay view does. The Legacy Group pays close attention to the storefronts along this road through the holidays. If you're weighing a home along this stretch of the Eastern Shore, we'd be glad to walk the road with you. Schedule a Private Consultation.
